Month: January 2015

3 Lessons on Trust from David and Goliath

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

Trust in the Lord dispels fear.

In 1 Samuel 17 we find the account of David and Goliath. Goliath, an armor clad, giant warrior faces down the army of Israel. He challenges any Israelite brave enough to face him in one-on-one, mortal combat. Kind of the ancient version of the Thunderdome. While the rest of Israel is afraid only the shepherd boy, David, shows courage. The chapter establishes his courage isn’t founded upon his experience (David is just boy), his weapons (David has only a sling), or his armor (David has none). Instead, his courage comes from his trust in the Lord’s deliverance. This kind of trust dispels fear.

I took my boys rock climbing at Garden of the Gods awhile back. The day we went one of our guides was a young lady about half my size. As I climbed one of the 30-40 foot faces she had me on belay. Looking down at her slight build from 30 feet up, I immediately saw myself falling down as my weight pulled her up! It took 3 or 4 minutes before I would put my weight in the harness and rappel back down. Having no trust meant I was afraid. On the other hand, trust dispels fear.

Trust in the Lord Quickens Action

David does not waste time before volunteering to fight Goliath. As soon as he hears the giants taunts David begins enquiring about fighting him. Have you wondered why David was so quick to volunteer when everyone else trembled in fear? Facing such an overwhelming foe would give most folks reason to pause. In fact, it terrified all of Israel—including her King. But David is immediately ready to sally forth. David’s action is quicken because he trusts the Lord. He tells King Saul, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine,” (1 Samuel 17:37, ESV). David trusts the Lord for victory, so he is quick to join the battle.

Likewise, trust in the Lord quickens us to action. Have you ever had a moment that you just knew was a great opportunity to share the gospel with a friend or acquaintance and yet you didn’t do it? I know I have. Sometimes it is from a fear of rejection. Other times it is fear of miss communicating or being misunderstood. Those fears come from trusting myself—whom I know to be weak—to do what only God can do. Thus, trusting God for the victory quickens action.

Trust glorifies God

In all of this battle, David is not interested in his own fame. He isn’t looking to elevate himself in the eyes of the King or the soldiers. He is interested in defeating Goliath that, “that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,” 1 Samuel 17:46. In other words, David knows his purpose in facing Goliath is to glorify God. It is his complete trust in the Lord to deliver Him that will glorify God in this victory. Trust in the Lord glorifies God because it reveals that he is the source of my boldness and action.

God doesn’t want me to say, “Look at what I did.” He isn’t interested in everyone else saying, “Wow, Brandon is a great Pastor.” When David defeated Goliath he was certainly congratulated. But I doubt any Israelite thought David did it alone. They all knew the only way this victory happened was by the Lord’s hand. I want to live my life so that if God doesn’t show up then Goliath will win. I don’t want to give in to fear, but trust the Lord to deliver victory over sin, victory over the very gates of hell. I want to live so that others look at my life and say, “There is no way he did that. I had to be God.” Let us trust God so fully that we are free from fear, quick to act, and glorifying God.

Walt Disney Worlds Sorcerers Hat to be torn down Wednesday | Local News – WESH Home

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

So, while I typically write about Church and Discipleship issues, I noticed this today:

The Sorcerer’s Hat has been at Hollywood Studios since 2001, but Disney officials said they are removing it because they are working to bring new experiences to life at the park.

via Walt Disney Worlds Sorcerers Hat to be torn down Wednesday | Local News – WESH Home.

21 years ago I worked at Disney/MGM Studios (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios). I never liked the Sorcerer’s Hat, because Disney/MGM already had two icons: the Chinese Theater (Great Movie Ride) and the Earful Tower. Adding the Hat to give Disney/MGM an icon, when it already had two, seemed forced.

I, for one, am glad to see it go.

h/t: www.yesterland.com

What do ya’ know?

~ brandon ~ Leave a comment

When I read this:

Or even a happy one. Not long ago, an enterprising professor at the Harvard Business School named Mike Norton persuaded a big investment bank to let him survey the bank’s rich clients. (The poor people in the survey were millionaires.) In a forthcoming paper, Norton and his colleagues track the effects of getting money on the happiness of people who already have a lot of it: A rich person getting even richer experiences zero gain in happiness. That’s not all that surprising; it’s what Norton asked next that led to an interesting insight. He asked these rich people how happy they were at any given moment. Then he asked them how much money they would need to be even happier. “All of them said they needed two to three times more than they had to feel happier,” says Norton.

I thought:

“One’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions,” Luke 12:15 (ESV).

What do ya know? Jesus was right all along.